Electrical measuring apparatus and the method of operating the same.



C. A. HOXIE.

ELECTRICAL MEASURING APPARATUS AND THE METHOD OF OPERATING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I9, {9H5- Patented May 14, 1918.

T c m w M T U Fig. 2.

Inventor xn r m m 5 5 am h B b isaspec State of UNITED STATES PATENT oFFroE.

HOXIE, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEN EBAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented May 14, 1918.

Application filed ma 19, 1916. Serial No. cases.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cams A. Hoxm, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectad in the county of Schenectady, ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Measuring Ap aratus and the Method of Operating the ame, of which the following cation.

The present invention relates to the art of measur the electrical characteristics of an electric current, such as am erage or volta e, and its object is to provi e a means for o tainin a definite or standard current or voltage w 'ch may be used as a basis for comparing an electrical quantity to be measured.

In carrying out my invention, an electro-' motive force varying directly with the first power of a current to be standardized is compared with an electromotive force varyersed by the current to be standardized, and

a thermo-couple in close proximity to but out of physical contact with said thermal element.

Other elements of the combination constituting my invention, such for example, as

the connections for obtaining an electromotive force varying with the first power of the current to be standardized, and means for indicating electromotive force, as for example, a galvanometer, are enumeratel in the appended claims.

A more complete understandin of my invention may behad from he fo lowing description taken in connection with the ac- .companying drawings in which Figure 1 is a erspective view of a thermo-cel for obtaming an electromotive force varying substantially with the square of a given current,

and Fig. 2 is a diagram of connections of an embodiment of my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the thermo-cell comprises a'sealed envelop or bulb 1, containing a gas such as hydrogen, nitrogen or argon,

which is inert with respect to a metal when heated. Within the bulb is located a filamentary heater 2 consisting of tungsten, tantalum, platinum or the like, and connected to conductors 3, 4, sealed into the glass stem 5, a spring 6 serving to maintain the filament taut. For example, the heater filament consists of tungsten etched to a diameter of 0.2 mils. (0.0002 inches) with sodium mtrate. In close proximity to the heater 2, for example, a few thousandths of an inch, so as, to secure as perfect thermal relation as possible, is located a filamentary thermocouple, comprising wires 7 8, which may be, for example, about .9 mil. in diameter, consisting respectively of calorite and advance or constantan wire, or other suitable metals, at the junction of which a thermo-electric efi'ect 1s obtained. Calorite is an allo of about 62 to 65% nickel, to 12% chromium, 7.5 to 8% manganese, and the balance iron. Advance wire is an alloy of about 49% mckel, 48% copper, and a little manganese and iron. These joined wires or filaments 7, 8, are also supported by sealed-in conductors, the lighter conductor 10 including a coiled spring 11 to prevent sagg' The pressure of the gaseous ii l ling may be equal to about 2 centimeters of mercury pressure, but may be varied in accordance with the conditions. The gas may be purified, after sealing the bulb, by incandescing therein a filament 12 consisting of tungsten or other suitable chemically active metal. The function of the gas is to assist in the transfer of heat from the filament to the thermo-couple.

As diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2,

the heater 2 of the thermo-cell O is c0nnect-' resistance is used to merely determine the effective value of the slide wire resistance. The thermo-couple element 7 isconnected to one terminal of the resistance in common with the heater 2. The element 8 of the thermo-couple may be connected through the conductors 18, '19, to a galv'a nometer '20'by a, switch 21, the opposite terminal of the galvanometer being connected to. a terminal in common with the-resist "ance's 15 and 16.

The connections of the thermo-jcouple should be so -chosen that the electromotive 7' force of thethermo cou 1e opposes the elec-' tromotive force across t e resistance-15pm- I 10 switch 22 in the battery circuit is closed the duced by the heater current. ,When the current flows throu h theheater,fand the resistance 15. A ba ance inthe two opposing electromotive forces at the terminalsfbf the resistance 15 may be produced b pressin the key 23, closingthe circu t 18,

19, an *varying the 'resista'nce114 until a 'zero reading is noted on' the galvanometer.

, motive force of the thermo-couple varies with the square of the heater current, this e n balance occurs with a As the drop of voltage of the heater current in the resistance 15 varies with the first power ofthe current and the electrofixed current value. a he electromotive force of the thermo-couple in a cell-constructed as above described is ab0ut 3,000

microvolts when using caloritesadvance Wire with a current of about'30. milliamperes the heater. These values are merelyillustrative. I By means of'the describeddevice a current for comparison purposes miag be very precisely determined and the device therefore can be used in. place of a standard cell.

It is more rugged than a standard cell as' the present device is not injured'by climatic temperature changes.

' The value of the slide wire resistance 16 may be accurately determined, and if desired, calibrated and used to measure an unknown potential, for example, the electromotive force of a' pyrometer,--as indicated at 24. The two potentials maybe balanced by depressing the key 25, thereby connecting the thermo-couple-to the pyrometer and moving the terminal of the conductor 26 along the potentiometer resistancei16 until a balance is obtained, or by vconnecting to a definite known point of the resistance and noting the deflection of/the galvanometer I scale. -By propercalibration the temperathe instrument.

ture may be readdirectly on the {scale of The device may be used as a source of a standard voltage maintaining the resistance 16 invariable, thus obtaining afixed voltage drop across its terminals when thecurrent traversm the resistance is standardized as above escribed. V What I'claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPaten't of the United States, is 1. The combination ofa gas-tight envelop,

a filamentary heater therein, a thermo-couplein clqse thermal relation'to but out of and a r 2'. The combination of a as-tight envelop,

erfectly definitely physical contact with said heating element,

filling of gas within said envelop.

a filamenti therein adap to be heated,.'a

thermo-c'ouple. closely adjacent to -butout of contact with said filament, ,a gas within ,said envelop inert withrespect tosaidifilw, ment and. couple, vat a pressure of about 2 centimeters of mercury, and electrical con motions for said filament and said couple.

3. The method of standardizing a current which consists-in generating an electromotive force by the heatin 'efiect 6f the current to be standardized, sai electromotive force substantially with the square of thecurrent, balancing said electromotive force against an electromotive force varying with the first ower of the current to be standardized, an varying said current until said electromotive forces are equal. e

4. .A device vforv obtaining a current of standard value comprising an electric circuit, a source of current of substantially constant voltage connected to said circuit, a

,fixed resistance traversed by said current,

means for balancing against the electromotive force at the terminals of said re-v sistance with, an electromotive .force varying substantially with the square of the current in said circuit, means for adjusting the currentfrom said source, and means for indicating when theelectromotive force at the temperature ofsaid thermal-element, a resistance in circuit with both said elements connected so that the electromotive-forces from said elements are in opposition, and a galvanometer for indicating when the electromotive force at the terminals of said re-- sistancebecomes zero. V I I 6. Adevlce for standardizlng a current comprising a source of current, a thermal element, circuit connections between said source and sa1d element, means for varying the current furnished by said source'to s'ai element, means for furnishing an electromotive force varying with the temperature of said thermal element, means for furnishing an opposingelectromotive forcevarying at the same rate as the currentthrough said thermal element, and meansfor balancing the opposing electromotive forces.

7. An electrical standardizing device comprising the combination of a gas-ti ht envelop, a filament of refractory-con ucting material therein, a filamentary thermo-cou- Correction in Letters Patent No. 1,266,473.

ple located at a distance of a few thouabout a few thousandths of an inch from 10 sandths of an inch from said filament, and said filament, and a filhng of gas inert w th a filling of gas within said envelop. respect to said filament at a pressure 111 h 8. An electrical standardizing device comenough to materlally asslst 1n the tr er 5 prising the combination of a sealed bulb, a of heat from the filament to the thermofilamenta heater of refractory metal therecouple. 15 in having a diameter of about 0.2 miL, a In w1tne$ whereof, I have hereunto set filamentar thermo-couple having a diammy hand this 18th da of May, 1916. eter of abd ut .9 mil. removed not more than C LES A. HOXIE.

It ishereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,266,473, granted May 14,

1918, upon the application of Charles A. Hoxie, of Schenectady, New York, for an improvement in Electrical Measuring Apparatus and the Method of Operating the Same, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 63, for the word nitrate read nitrite; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correotiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of June, A. D.,- 1918.

[scan] F. W. H. CLAY,

Acting C'omm'iss'ioner of Patents. Cl. 175183. 

